Enigma
by Rydia Asuka
Summary: Animé verse. Edward Elric was brilliant, but sometimes Alfons wondered about him. He really, really did.
1. Truth

_This is a thought that's jumped around in my brain for a long while now, and so I just thought I'd type it out. I'm assuming it takes place not long after Edward met Alfons Heiderich, but I really have no solid timeline in mind. Use your imaginations. ;D I just love Heiderich. I feel he was a horribly undermined character, and I love toying around with him mentally in my own head. So, here I am sharing some of that. If you like it, feel free to ask for more. I might be talked into making this a series of one-shots revolving around the friendship between him and Ed. That's platonic friendship. I do get tired of most of the fics about them being yaoi... _

_Also, the university? Yeah, I'm not sure if that's the right one, especially considering it was located in Bavaria at the time of the movie (and moved to Munich in 1826, where it was renamed __Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, also know as the University of Munich__), but I recall them mentioning something about Bavaria in the movie so...maybe? I honestly don't care that much. This note is getting longer than the fic. Ffff._

**15/04/11: it's official: I'm going to be making this a series of one-shots.** _They're not going to follow any consistent timeline, or even **either **canon with any reliability. They're just going to be whatever pops into my head. I'm also open to prompts, if people want to suggest some. I can't promise I'll use them, but that's not to say I won't, either. ;3_

**Disclaimer: **Fullmetal Alchemist and all associated characters and settings are property of Hiromu Arakawa and Square-Enix. No copyright infringement is intended; no profit is being made.

oOo **Truth** oOo

For Alfons Heiderich, meeting up with Edward Elric at Ludwig_-_Maximilians_-_Universität had been something of a blessing. The blond was outgoing and brilliant beyond belief. Despite knowing next to nothing about rocketry when they had started taking classes together, the loudmouthed teen was already starting to surpass him in areas of knowledge. And enthusiasm? Ed Elric had it by the barrelful. No matter what sorts of hurdles they faced in their studies, Ed was always there to snap them back onto the right path.

So it was that the two quickly became friends. They both had powerful visions for the future, and soon learnt that they worked well together. There was never a dull day when Ed was around.

However, there was one thing that bothered Alfons about his friend. Alfons' own family was living in Berlin, yet Ed's...well, Hohenheim was a man Alfons had met only a few times, but he seemed like the kind sort. Yet...Ed just did not seem to like him. Why? Well, he had no idea. In fact, getting Ed to talk about his past was something he had quickly gotten the hint not to do. The blond just did not like to talk about his life before...before Germany? So, Alfons let it go. He was free to talk about his own family if he so chose and he did at times. Mostly, though, they just talked about rockets.

On that note, the German scientist had no idea why Ed was so interested in building his own rocket someday. Alfons wanted to do it to leave his mark on the world, but he...well, he just got the feeling that his friend's reasons were more personal. Once again, though...Edward refused to tell him.

Whatever. It really did not matter, just so long as they were friends who could work together. At least, that was what Alfons had spent the past few months telling himself. No matter how much he tried, however, he just could not seem to break down the wall that was his friend's defences. He wanted to know more about his friend, he really did. It was just...so hard.

"Hey, Alfons, pass me those blueprints."

The blond rocket scientist was snapped out of his musings when the very person of his thoughts spoke. With a sigh, he rolled up the papers he had been looking at, handing them over without a word. He was used to Ed's demands by this point anyway, so whatever. He would not complain. It was just a bit of Ed's coarse...charm. Yeah, that was one way to put it. Charm.

"Hey, Al, what do you think of this?" Leaning over, the teenager scanned the document one of their classmates was holding out to him.

"Hm...are you sure that the force of the propulsion wouldn't break the cylinder? That seems like an awful lot of pressure for such thin metal."

"What is it? Alfons?" Behind them, Ed was sidling in, staring down at the paper intently. "Oh, I get it. Yeah, that's definitely more force than that can stand. I bet if you alloyed the metal, though..."

See? Edward Elric was nothing less than a genius, but he was so...impersonal. While the others all acted like friends, sometimes Alfons felt like the other teen was just using them; like he did not really care. That was probably untrue, but sometimes Alfons could not help but wonder why; why he got such a feeling in the first place.

"That would probably work... Hey, Alfons, take a look at this." With an internal sigh, he complied. Now was the time for working, not for daydreaming.

"What do you think? Winry always..." Wait, what? Had he just...? "Uh, wait. Never mind."

"Winry?" he asked before he could stop himself.

"Just someone I used to know," came the almost...icy reply. "She loved playing with machines. She always used to go on to me about the importance of balancing weight with strength."

"A girl did that, Ed? Where on earth are you _from_?" Alfons winced at the question, asked by one of their friends, knowing full well that Ed would not take it well...and he was right.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that she knew what she was talking about," the blond snapped. Almost unobtrusively, Ed clutched his right arm; the arm Alfons knew was fake. What that meant, he had no idea.

"Anyway, look, if we change it like this..."

"He sure has a temper, doesn't he Al?" Alfons did not voice his agreement, but sometimes silence said it all, anyway.

oOo

By the time Alfons and Edward were left alone in their apartment, there was a single question that the teen was dying to ask his friend, and be damned with the consequences.

"Hey, Ed?"

"Yeah?"

"How come you always call me Alfons? I mean, everyone else calls me Al, but you never do."

At first, Alfons thought his friend was not going to answer, but then the teen sighed, almost in resignation, and replied, "Have I ever told you about my little brother?"

"...no."

"Al," the teen sighed, wistfully, "Alphonse Elric." And so did everything fall into place.

"Oh, Ed..."

The shorter teen huffed, sitting back with his hands behind his head. "Don't go getting all sappy on me, Alfons." Ed frowned for a moment, before muttering in a tone almost too low to be heard, "Maybe it's time I owned up."

"Owned up to what, Ed?"

Ed smirked. "To Amestris. Resembool. Al. Winry. _Home_."

Alfons had waited a long time to hear this, yet he never imagined in his wildest dreams...that he would never be able to even believe his friend.

Sometimes, he wondered about Ed. He really, really did.


	2. Religion

_This one just sorta popped into my head at work, was written on a piece of computer paper swiped from the office over my break at lunch, and was typed up after work. Yep. I'm cool like that. _

_So, I went with Catholicism because the area around Munich appeared to be mostly Catholic back then. I don't suppose it really matters all that much. _

_Alrighty, so, clearly I've decided to continue this (also changed the title). For those of you who did not see the note in the first chapter, I'm open to prompts, so feel free to leave me some. :3 They can be as specific or as vague as you like. Now, that's not to promise I'll use them all, but I'll likely try and do most of them._

_Also, there is a different version of this story available. I was talking it over with a good friend of mine, and she suggested some edits that, when I put them in, sounded good...but they didn't fit the feel that I was going for. I want to know what you guys think: does this piece manage to just tickle at your emotions in the way I was trying for, or should I go with the more detailed version? And the bit at the end was totally random. Don't ask. _

oOo **Religion **oOo

_Bavaria, Germany. Late 1921._

It had only been a day since Edward had moved in, but that was not going to be enough to cause Alfons to break tradition. As per usual for a Sunday, he was up early, grooming himself neatly in preparation for Sunday mass. Noticing that the shorter blond was still not up, he made for the other's room, knocking lightly on the door.

When there was no answer, he tried again, following it up with a polite, "Ed, you awake?"

"Ngh?"

Smiling to himself, the blue-eyed teen pushed the door partway open, eyes landing on the sleepy form sprawled out in bed.

"You coming to church this morning?"

That woke Ed up, at least a bit more, as the other blond pulled a face and pointedly turned to face the wall. "No way."

"Ed," he scolded gently, "just because you're tired doesn't give you an excuse not to go, you know."

"Yeah, well, how about 'I stop believing a long time ago'? Does that work?" came the curt, crisp..._cold_ reply.

"...did something happen?" he ventured after a moment of awkward silence.

"Doesn't matter."

"Ed..."

I said _it doesn't matter_," his friend snapped, sitting up and twisting his body to meet Alfons' eyes. The expression in Ed's eyes made Alfons freeze, brow furrowing slightly. There was undeniable annoyance in those golden eyes, but beneath that...was something else. Something he could not place, but did not like.

Meeting those eyes for a long moment, he finally sighed and turned to leave.

"Alfons, wait, I'm so—"

The door clicked shut behind him, cutting off any further words.

Alfons went to church alone that day, and many Sundays after. The subject was never breached again.

_Omake_

"You stopped believing?"

"Well, not so much that as I just have nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about? And just what's that supposed to mean, Ed?"

"Hell doesn't want me."

"Uh-huh..."

"No, really. It's spat me back out how many times now?"

"I see."

"At least three."

"Whatever you say, Ed."

"No, really. It just plain doesn't want me. See this scar? I died, but it dumped me off here instead of taking me. Again."

"If you say so."

You could at least _pretend_ you believe me."

"Or I could just leave."

"Alfons!"


	3. Death

oOo **Death** oOo

_Munich, Germany. Mid 1922. _

Alfons did not really know what to think when Edward grabbed his arm, yanking him off to the side and into a dark alley without a word. Sure, his friend was well known for spontaneous actions, but this was a bit odd, even for him.

"Ed…?"

"Shh!" the other teen hissed, placing a hand to his own lips and shooting Alfons a warning glare.

Not knowing what else to do, the blue-eyed teenager did as told, watching Ed in silent confusion. His friend was pressed up against a building, peaking cautiously around the corner with an almost...concerned look in his amber eyes.

Alfons effectively had no idea what was going on. He and Ed were on their way home from a late night at the library, studying blueprints and drawing plans in the relaxing atmosphere. Because it was getting late on a Friday night, they had decided to take a shortcut home by cutting through some alleys to avoid any potential drunks on the larger streets. With the two of them, they figured they would be fine, and Alfons himself had not noticed anything untoward on their journey.

Yet...had Ed? The teenager's golden locks, pulled back into the usual ponytail, stood out vibrantly against his friend's brown coat. The thought was a random one, yet he just did not know what else _too_ think about, stuck staring at his friend's back while the other watched for some nameless fear. He just hated not knowing.

He was about to dare asking again when a loud crash sounded, causing the taller blond to jump violently, blue eyes wide in shock.

"Wh-what was that?" he demanded quickly, pushing forward to try and see around Ed's growing, but still rather small, body.

"Shh!" Edward hissed once again, glancing back with a sharp look.

"Ed!"

"Dammit, c'mon!" At that, Alfons felt his arm gripped as he was dragged away into the space between to buildings.

"Ed, what's going on?" he pressed, not liking the state of ignorance that he was currently stuck in.

"I think we walked into the middle of something."

"Into the middle of _what_, Ed?" he asked with a sigh. Did he not have a right to know what the heck was going on? "Stop hiding everything from me!" His voice he kept low, though it still came out an urgent hiss. "Don't you trust me?"

"I-I...you're right, Alfons," Edward admitted after a moment. "Listen, we're surrounded on all sides. I don't really know what's going on, but I think we walked into the middle of a gang war."

A gang war...? Oh no way! It was no secret that Germany was a mess, especially considering the impoverished mess the Treaty of Versailles had left them in, stuck trying to pay for an entire war! And one that a whole lot more than just their country had participated in, too. Regardless, the costs were leaving Germany in a state of disintegration, and it was unsurprising that a lot of people resorted to lives of crime because of it.

"We should never have come this way." Only they both knew the area relatively well, and they had thought it safe of this sort of activity.

"It's not our fault," Ed replied, golden eyes narrowed and serious. "They're the ones who refuse to carve out a better life for themselves."

"Ed?"

"Nothing. I just don't believe in using other people to get ahead. Life goes wrong, you make it right again with your own two hands. Nobody's gonna do it for you, so suck it up and do it yourself."

Not for the first time, Alfons found himself staring at his friend in a new light. He often wondered about Ed's past, and while the other was incredibly reluctant to do more than tell humorous stories that he did not believe, he felt that there was a rather interesting story to be told, were the truth to ever come out. Now was not the time, though. And if he knew Ed...never would there be a time.

"Still, Ed...it's not our fault. Germany lost the war, sure, but not all of us fought in it! We didn't all agree with it, either."

"And that makes it okay for these gangs to terrorise people on the streets? I don't think so, Alfons."

"I know, I'm just saying tha—"

"Shh!" Ed hissed, gesturing for them both to fall silent, which Alfons did. He had no idea how his friend seemed to know exactly what to do, but he was also not going to question it right then. If there was some sort of turf dispute going on, he did not want to end up in the middle of it—no matter how literal Ed seemed to think that was just then.

A sharp crack drew their attention, Ed frowning deeply and Alfons jumping once again. This was so not his thing. How on earth was his friend so calm? Edward looked ready to punch anyone who came at them clean in the face.

Before either of them could say anything, the dull thud of heavy boots pounding in the alley they had just left sounded, causing Alfons' breath to catch in his throat as four teenagers ran past the mouth of their hiding place. The boys were also armed with various implements, something that he did not miss.

"Dammit, Ed...!"

"Follow me!"

Blinking in shock when his friend darted out of hiding, dashing down the alley, it was all Alfons could do to run after him, both of them vanishing into a different alley just as two other teens passed by.

"What are you doing, Ed! We need to hide!"

"No, we need to get out of here, bef—" the other blond's words were cut off by a sharp scream, followed by a series of shouts, and the clang of what was probably fighting. He did not know how long it went on for, but then everything was halted by a gunshot. Silence fell for a moment, only to be broken a moment later by further pounding of feet.

"Shit...Alfons, stay here." With that, Edward darted off, leaving his friend staring after him in disbelief.

"No way, Ed," he muttered, taking off after the golden-haired boy a moment later. He did not miss that they were heading toward where the noise had come from, though. Luckily, it seemed that the perpetrators had taken a different route through the maze of Munich's backstreets, and they did not bump into anyone.

A moment behind Ed, Alfons arrived at the scene, his innocent, blue eyes growing wide at the scene he was met with. Across the wall of a building not far from him, there was a splash of bright red, the knowledge of what it had to be causing the blond to bite his lip. A further scan revealed several more locations that were reddened by blood; the air smelled faintly of iron. It was making him sick.

"E-Ed..."

"Dammit, Alfons! I told you to stay back!" his friend replied from where he was crouched over a still form.

"I just, we—"

"—watch it!"

Halting, Alfons glanced down just in time to not step on the body of a young boy who could not have been older than sixteen. With a strangled yelp, he jerked back.

"I-is h-he?"

"Probably. I've seen people survive some pretty bad injuries—hell, I've done it myself—but bullets to the chest tend to be fatal." Ed's voice was tight and tense, his eyes never leaving the person her was crouching beside. Alfons could not tell, but by the way his friend was applying pressure to an injury on the victim's side, he figured the guy was still alive.

"And him?" he asked nervously.

"Not gonna be for long if we can't get him some help."

Stepping forward, Alfons tried to ignore the glazed look in the eyes of the person at his feet, and to block out the splash his shoes made as he hit a puddle of blood. With a hidden whimper, he hurried forward, kneeling next to his friend.

"I-is there anything you can do?" Damn, but Edward was handling this well. He could no believe how easily the other blond was dealing with the blood that was all over him, his knees resting in a small pool of it as his hands pressed down on the open wound in an effort to staunch the flow.

"I'm not sure. It's...a whole lot different treating someone else's wounds than it is your own." That was accompanied by a weak chuckle. "Still, I was always called too stubborn for my own good. I'm not gonna give up."

No, giving up was not something Edward Elric ever did.

"Can I help?"

"Yeah, actually, can you stay here? I'm going to go get help."

"Why don't I go?"

"You'll be safer here. If they come back..."

"If who comes back, blondie?"

Ed's head shot up at the same time as Alfons', their eyes landing on three sources of trouble.

"Alfons, take care of this," muttered Edward, who was already moving. The moment the blue-eyed teen's hands took over, the short teen was on his feet, launching himself straight at the would-be troublemakers.

From where he was, trying to keep a stranger's blood in his body, Alfons found himself effectively forgetting the blood and the smell and the dead body in favour of watching Edward fight.

Edward Elric was a man of many talents, but this was not one he had ever suspected. Ed was fast, agile, light on his feet, co-ordinated, and powerful. The blond fireball feinted a punch, only to duck and sweep out the feet of one of his opponents. Rolling, Ed flipped into a handstand, kicking a bat out of a hand.

A second later, Ed was shoved over, a fist colliding with his jaw and knocking him onto his back. Then a foot collided with his ribs, dragging a painful gasp out of his friend.

"Ed!" he cried, starting to get up, only to remember the unconscious person below him.

"Don't! Alfons!" Ed was up again, launching a punch of his own that floored a redhead. "I'm..." he grunted, "fine!" Ed smirked beyond the small trickle of blood escaping a cut on his forehead. "If I can survive a fight against Flame, then these guys don't stand a chance!"

Well, he might not know what that meant, but he gathered it was something impressive.

"Don't stand a chance, do we? We'll show you, shortie!"

"What is wrong with you! I'm not short! Not everyone grows through photosynthesis!"

"What the hell does that even mean?"

"This!" And Ed delivered a blow to the speaker's jaw. "How's that for short, you overgrown weeds!"

"Why you...!"

Beneath his hand, the body gasped, brown eyes flickering open to clash with his blue. "Wh-wha...?"

The fight immediately pushed to the back of his mind, Alfons looked down, worry clouding his gaze. "You're awake! How are you feeling? Don't worry, we're going to take care of you."

"Ngh...u-uh..."

"It's okay. We're going to get you some help," he tried to assure the confused teenager below him.

"I...I don't..." A loud coughing fit broke the boy off, causing him to spew up a torrent of blood.

"E-Ed! I need some help here!"

"Dammit! Alfons, watch out!" At the warning, his head came up just in time to see a metal pip coming for his skull. He was not even given a chance to cry out when a blur of gold and brown entered the picture, clearing Alfons in one leap and tackling the would-be attacker to the ground. "I'm gonna smack the crap out of you!"

"Dieterich, forget it! Let's go before the cops show!"

"Argh...dammit. Fine. Don't think you've won, shrimp! You'll pay for screwing with us!" the brunet called Dieterich snapped, pushing himself up when Ed released him.

"Yeah, like I haven't heard that before!"

"Ed, get over here!"

With a muffled curse, the shorter blond finally turned and hurried back to Alfons' side, dropping down beside him. As the pounding of feet vanished into the distance, the two teens turned their attention to person dying on the cobblestone streets, blood painting rivers in the ridges of the road.

"I don't know what to do."

"Dammit, I don't think there's anything we _can_ do, Alfons. They...they were planning that."

"Huh?"

"If anyone came to help, they were planning to jump them like that." Edward's jaw tightened. "They want him to die."

"I-I..."

"Listen kid, I don't know what they hell happened between you guys, but how on earth could you be so...stupid. Life only flows in one direction, and you...you fucked yours up."

"Ed, I don't think this is the time to be lecturing, him," Alfons muttered. He really had no idea what his friend was thinking. This guy was _dying _right in front of them, and this was how Ed dealt with it? Alfons had never even _seen_ a dead body before that night! He had no idea what to do.

"You know," his friend continued, completely ignoring him, "it's stupid to die for no reason. So...at least give me a damn reason so I can tell your parents!"

Blue eyes widened when Edward yelled, his breath catching a bit in his throat. That guy...certainly had a way with words. It was amazing how much compassion could be packed into a yell.

"Hah...they'll be...glad to be...rid of...me..."

"No they won't! That's not how it works! Don't go acting all high-and-mighty because you think you know what you're talking about! Dying is never the answer, dammit!"

"Hah...fine. Tell 'em...I'm sorry. I fucked up. I..." Alfons found himself biting his lip hard enough to draw blood as those dark eyes drifted closed and the breathing stopped. A moment later, Ed was on his feet.

"We need to get the police in here," he muttered. "Find out who they were."

"U-uh...right."

Ed was already heading to the mouth of the alley, yet he stopped next to the other corpse, kneeling so that he could gently thumb the staring eyes closed.

"Hey, Ed?"

"Yeah?"

"Was there anything you could have done? If they hadn't shown up?"

"I dunno...probably not," he muttered. "Let's go. I think I might've cracked a rib."

Alfons nodded, following close on his friend's heels. "You know, I've never seen a dead body before."

"Well, now you've seen two. Aren't you lucky." The blatant sarcasm was...well, blatant.

"You have."

"No shit."

"When did you learn to fight like that, Ed? And...and why? You were so calm." Aside from the anger. "You..."

"I've been in situations like that before? Yeah." Golden eyes glanced back. "Life's handed me a lot of lemons."

"Ed..."

"Let's go. They shouldn't be left out like that."

"And you need to see a doctor, too."

"I'll be fine. I've had worse."

"And that was then. Right now, you need to get looked at."

"Fine."

* * *

><p>It turned out that Ed had not cracked a rib, yet he was covered in black and blue bruises for days, and it was clear he had trouble breathing for awhile after the fight. One thing was clear, though, Alfons had nightmares of dead eyes staring up at him, and of dying boys at his feet. Edward's nightmares were about something else entirely.<p>

He never did find out who they were, or if his friend ever went to talk to their families.

* * *

><p><em>I swear. I can do non-depressing stuff. Really. Just, uh...someone give me a happy prompt...? XD; <em>


	4. Flowers

oOo **Flowers **oOo

_Munich, Germany. February 1922._

"You're sure this place is okay?"

"Would I be taking you to see it if I wasn't, Ed?" Alfons shot back, sighing softly. They had been over this what felt a thousand times already, and still his friend insisted on digging his heels. Funny, how it seemed that teenaged, blond scientists had no interest in apartment hunting…still, it had to be done.

"But really, Alfons, a flower shop? You couldn't come up with anything a little less…girly?"

"We'll take what we can get, Ed, and Gracia seems nice." And there it was, that almost imperceptible hesitation that he would never have noticed had he not been watching his friend so closely. Yet Alfons was certain that he had not imagined it. It happened occasionally with Ed, the other seeming to react to something that others would have viewed inconsequential. He had yet to work out what caused it, however, and he doubted that his friend would ever actually open up about it. So that left watching; observing for a pattern.

He had not had much luck.

"Winry never would have had a flower shop," the amber-eyed teen responded instead, rolling his eyes.

"Winry?"

"My friend, from Resembool?"

Right, one of the fictional people from his story. Honestly, sometimes Alfons had to wonder how…sane Ed really was. He spoke of this Amestris as though it were a real place, and the people there real, too. No matter how amusing the stories, it did not make them true.

"The…mechanic, right?" he asked after a moment. "The girl mechanic." However hard he tried, Alfons could not keep the slight note of incredulity out of his tone. Still, Ed hardly seemed to notice if the way the other nodded absently was anything to go by.

"Yeah. Trust me, she can keep up with anyone twice her age or size."

And there he kept going, talking like she was a real person, even though she wasn't. She was a figment of his imagination, yet Ed refused to see that. It was…disconcerting, to say the least.

The sound of screeching wheels signalled that the train's breaks had been thrown, indicating that they had finally arrived in town, and it was only a short walk from there to the apartment. As they approached the small building, flowers and customers overflowing into the street, Alfons paused to point it out to his friend, only to be shouldered past as Ed approached the shop with a determined stride.

Brow furrowing, Alfons paused for only a moment before heading after Edward, wondering what the shorter teen was doing. Ed had probably spotted their destination, the flowers were pretty obvious, but he seemed almost in a hurry to get there. After all of his reluctance to live above a flower shop, joking or not, something didn't fit.

"Miss Gracia?"

Stopping in his tracks, he watched curiously as his friend approached the shop's owner without any hesitation. Okay, so, did Ed _know_ her? Maybe they had been—

""Hello…I'm sorry, do I know you?"

—so much for that theory. He was not given time for further contemplation, however, as the short-haired woman spotted him, apparently putting two-and-two together as she did so.

"Oh, Alfons! And this must be Edward? Look, if you two boys don't mind waiting a minute, I'll take you upstairs."

"Yes, of course; take your time," he assured her, noting for the first time how busy the shop really was.

"It's, uh…Valentine's Day soon?" Ed muttered as Gracia hurried off at the bid of a customer. He was right, of course, but Alfons had more-or-less entirely forgotten the day in the events of apartment hunting.

"Yeah, maybe this wasn't the best day to come." His words fell on deaf ears, however, as he noticed that the amber-eyed teen was studying the flowers somewhat intently.

"I wonder if Winry would've liked any of these…" It was only chance that he heard it, but Alfons could not help but wince. This had to stop, or else Edward was going to get himself committed.

"Ed…"

"Yeah?" came the distracted reply.

"Winry doesn't…exist."

Piercing, gold eyes locked onto his own as the other blond turned to face him. "Maybe not here." And then he was met with Ed's back as his friend turned away, effectively shutting the conversation down.

A few minutes of awkward silence passed, and then Gracia was bustling up, wiping her hands on an apron as she gestured to the stairs not far from them. "There, I closed up for lunch. You two ready?"

All other thoughts were quickly discarded as he and Gracia showed Ed around the apartment, the other quickly agreeing that it would suit them fine. In the future, Alfons just assumed that Ed had heard someone address Gracia before approaching her, no matter that how his gut told him otherwise.

* * *

><p><em>Alrighty, I did eventually write more for this! I'm not in any hurry to write this one; I'm just going to write pieces when I feel like it. Feel free to toss out prompts, though, because I do consider them all. <em>

_On that note, I'm going to clarify what I mean by prompts. What I'm looking for is a word, or maybe a phrase, that I can write a story based around. This prompt, supplied by a friend of mine was, you guessed it, 'Flowers'. Ironically, she's never watched FMA. So yeah, feel free to toss something at me._

_Once again, thanks for all the reviews! Hopefully I'll see y'all in the future!_


	5. Milk

_Drabbling back into writing for NaNoWriMo, and this piece seems to be the first up. Prompt was __**Milk**__, suggested by __**Dezzy14**__. This counts as milk, right? Hahah. I thought I'd try to get creative. XD And happier. I tried to keep the angst to a minimum-which isn't easy when you're writing FMA fanfiction.  
><em>

_Thanks for all the wonderful prompts and reviews, everyone. Your support really keeps me motivated. _

_See you next time! _

oOo **Milk** oOo

_Munich, Germany. May 1922_.

Alfons was forced to grip the edge of his seat with both hands as the automobile he was in clattered over an unusually deep hole in the road. The vehicle's driver, one Edward Elric, hardly seemed to notice his passenger's discomfort as he chatted amicably about some discovery or another that he had made earlier that day in the lab. Ed was brilliant, yes, but he also had a rather unfortunate tendency to be…single-minded. Talking and driving was definitely not his friend's forte.

"—and so, if we—"

"Whoa, Ed!"

"Huh…? Wha-!"

With an almost painful rattle, the car was jerked sideways, wheels spinning as it struggled to maintain traction on only two tires. With a loud _clunk_, the vehicle—mercifully—crashed back to the road on all fours, dust puffing up around them and drawing both occupants into coughing fits.

"Watch the _road, _Ed!" Alfons snapped, even as his blue eyes finally glanced up to see what had caused the upset in the first place.

To his side, Edward started to laugh.

"A heifer," the young German stated flatly, frowning. "We almost died because you _failed to notice a __**cow**__ in the road and now you're laughing about it_." If sardonic had a tone, that was it.

"Lighten up, Alfons," the other blond replied, jumping out of the car-

_Doors, Ed. They're there for a reason._

-and landing in the road to yet another puff of dust.

"She probably wandered off from a local farm."

A glance up and down the road eventually revealed a broken bottom board on one of the fences, just larger enough for a young cow to roll under. "There," he murmured, pointing to the gap, "we should take her back."

"Why? It's just a cow."

"It's called kindness to animals, Ed," Alfons replied flatly, rolling his eyes as he got out of the automobile. Through the door. "You coming?"

Gripping the animal's rope halter and dragging her towards the fence without another word, he thought he heard his friend mutter something about 'beastly creatures and their horrid liquid.'

With a sigh, he shot back, "Milk's good for you, Ed. You should try it sometime; it might help you grow taller," and took off, dragging the heifer as fast as he could as he fled his friend's wrath.

At least the shorty was following, though.

In the end, it took both of them no small effort to get the animal back into her pasture, and after a quick repair effort to the fence, Alfons was once again dragging Ed along, this time across the field to a farmhouse they could see in the distance.

"I don't see why we have to go tell them their fence broke. It's their problem; let them find it."

"And if someone dies because another cow gets out and they hit a tree? Stop whining and come on, Ed."

Mercifully, that seemed to do the trick, sobering the other blond up as they kept walking. After a few more minutes, another cow rounded some trees, leading others into their line of vision. Staying quiet, Alfons did his best not to rile the animals while he walked. Several steps later, however, he realised that the other teenager was no longer following him. Stopping, he turned back to Ed, only to wince at the sight of the expression on the other's face.

"…Ed," he began, only to cut off as the other amber eyed teen's smirk widened.

"Hey, Alfons…ever ridden a cow before?"

"No…" he began, cautiously, "why?"

"Then you gotta try it," Edward informed him, latching onto Alfons' arm and dragging him towards the herd.

"Ed, I don't think this is a good idea…"

"It's fine. Winry, Al, and I used to ride cows at our friend Millie's all the time.

Alfons just frowned. Not this again.

"Our mom hated it, so we always had to sneak out to do it." His expression turned whimsical, to the point that Alfons could _almost_ believe that he really _was_ caught in the past.

Well, why not? There might be some truth to the story. It was not that hard to find farms, so maybe he had snuck out and ridden cows with his little brother and some friends. Maybe this Millie really had lived on a farm. If only he could get the truth out of Ed. It was so frustrating, never knowing what of what he was hearing was fact, and what was fiction.

"She only caught us once, and she made us promise not to do it again…"

"And?"

"We were kids. We snuck out the next day." Ed sighed. "We never got seriously hurt, but…I wish we had listened. Mom was only looking out for us."

"All kids did stuff like that, Ed."

The shorter blond didn't respond, and instead pressed on towards the cattle.

Alfons never did find out what it was like to ride a cow, because before they got any further, the farmer showed up, herding the cattle, and wound up chasing them off his land. With a stick. For some reason, though, Edward seemed like he was having the time of his life, running and laughing like a kid.

What was so funny about getting chased by an old man with a stick, Alfons did not really know, but somehow…the laughter was infectious. It felt, perhaps, a little like home. Just not his home.

If that made any sense at all.


	6. Pocket Watch

_I said I'll keep updating this, and I meant it. I pop back in here when I need something to write, grab a prompt, and go with it. Today's prompt is compliments of **ElmoDaHorse **and is, well, see below. Hahahah._

_It's angsty. I like angst. I also wrote and posted it entirely from my iPad and that was no small feat. I hate writing on this thing, and trying to post it crashed Chrome at least once so far. Ffff. Autocorrect also **really** likes to steal my commas. _

_Well, all said and done I really hope y'all enjoy this piece. It's a bit different from all the others, but it worked in my mind, so I wrote it out. Please, comment if you like it (or even if you don't)! It makes my day to hear from you all (and keeps my motivation up). _

_Again, enjoy!_

oOo** Pocket Watch **oOo

_Munich, Germany. Late 1922._

"What's that?"

A casual gesture from his friend drew Alfons' eyes to the thin, gold chain dangling between his lapel and the pocket of his vest. Grinning, he reached his hand in, lightly plucking out his newest toy.

"You like it? It's the latest model." Flicking the watch open, he tilted the face towards his friend.

"How'd you afford this?" Ed asked, snatching the timepiece away from him and examining it with a critical eye. "Looks expensive."

"Oh, don't go all preachy on me, Ed," he retorted with a sigh, expression going flat. "Besides, it was a gift." Letting his grin trickle back, Alfons chuckled. "Knowing people on the industry has its perks. I'm testing it for Amal, and he said if it works I can keep it."

"It's not a gift, then. You're working for it." Ed had the nerve to look smug, like he had won some sort of competition.

Alfons sighed, snatching the watch back and snapping it shut to admire the gold filigree set into the cover. "What's with you today? All I have to do is watch it. See if it keeps time correctly, and watch it doesn't, I don't know, _blow up _or something."

"And if it doesn't? What if it makes you late? Then it costs you. Not a gift."

Alfons pressed two fingers to his forehead and let out a strained breath, eyes closing as he sought patience. He did not even notice when the watch left his other hand; his fingers curled into a fist. Ed could be so _frustrating_.

"I don't know what your problem is, bu-" He cut off sharply as his eyes opened to spot Ed poking at the watch again.

"Bet Winry'd love to take it apart." Ed flipped it open, eyeing the ticking hand critically. "She'd make better, too."

Eye twitching, he snatched it back and turned to stalk off. "Whatever, Ed. Come talk to me when you're in a better mood."

"Get rid of it, then come talk to me."

Alfons' eyes widened as he snapped around to face Edward. "You have something against pocket watches? Like, what's your _problem_ today, Ed?"

Silence was his only response, as this time Ed turned to walk away.

* * *

><p>"Did you call Winry?"<p>

Roy ignored the question, turning to stare out the window at the falling snow. There was little else to see, the dreary contents of the guard hut the only splash of colour in a landscape of white that was otherwise unbroken. Not that Roy cared, because the whole point was not to have to look at Havoc.

"You shouldn't avoid it, Mustang. You can hide out here all you want, but reality isn't going to pass you by."

"Did I ask your opinion?" he bit out tersely.

Behind him, Roy heard rather than saw Jean shuffle; he could only imagine the man's disarming expression and thrown up arms.

"Alright, alright. All I'm saying is, it's good for Winry to hear from you, Al too but he's who _knows_ where."

Roy sighed, already regretting his momentary outburst. He just was not in the frame of mind for this discussion-but that was no excuse for how he was acting. Turning back to his friend, Roy closed his remaining eye and nodded.

"You're right. I'll call her soon."

"You should call Gracia, too. I saw her the other night and she mentioned she'd like to hear from you."

"I will, but not...not today."

"I know. I get it. Just call Winry at least."

Once his old friend had left, Roy found himself sitting in silence for a long while, staring down at the object in his lap as he mentally steeled himself for the phone call to come. He did not want to make this call, but he knew it had to done. Finally, he took a deep breath and set it aside in favour of picking up the phone.

The conversation was short and surprisingly emotional for two people who barely knew one another, but it somehow left Roy feeling...better. It never ceased to amaze him how much support one could find in another who knew the same pain.

As he readied himself for bed, the dull embers of the ebbing fire cast their feeble light upon the broken, bloodied pieces of Edward Elric's former pocket watch. The sharp angles sent the light across the room in distorted images, but Roy left it where it was.

He would put it away tomorrow.

_North Amestris. October 3rd, 1916._


	7. Photographs

_Today's update is compliments of my good friend, Final Hikari. _

_Thanks to all my wonderful readers. You're all awesome!_

* * *

><p>oOo <strong>Photographs<strong> oOo

_Munich, Germany. Mid 1922_

Alfons hummed lightly to himself as he flipped through the old photo album spread open on his lap. Many of the images within the pages were grimy with age and years of abuse, but they still depicted clear images. Here, his old dog Chocolat. There, himself at four being lead up the stairs to Sunday mass by his mother. Another of his whole family, Chocolat inclusive. It was nice to take a trip down memory lane once in awhile.

Taking a sip of his tea, Alfons screwed his face up a bit as the bitter taste stung his tongue. He had left it to steep a little too long, it seemed; lost track of time. Setting the cup aside, he left it there and went back to the book.

There were so many memories buried within the wordless pages. Carefully, he pried one picture free, flipping it over to read the inscription on the back. _Alfons and papa. November 19th, 1914_. That had been just before his father had been shipped off to the war...never to be seen again. It was the last picture of the two of them together.

Sighing sadly, he ran his fingers over the strong face he had come to associate with safety and security. His father was gone now, lost in a gun raid back in February of the following year, but Alfons' memories of him had not dimmed. He still remembered his father's warm, musky scent, his strong voice and kind hands. He was a man missed.

Not at all like Ed's relationship with his own father. Edward, for all intents and purposes, was lucky enough to have a father who had survived the war, but the other blond seemed to resent the man more than anything. He had met Hohenheim a few times, and the man seemed nothing if not a good man and father, but Ed would hear nothing of it; he hated his father.

That was one story Edward never told.

Putting the picture back, he flipped on. He saw a few of him with some friends, taken on the rare occasions his mother had gotten them all to stand still long enough to snap the image. He was lucky that they had had enough money to even afford their own camera, but a younger Alfons had never felt that way. It had just been annoying, being asked to clean up and stand still for the pictures. Still, nowadays he was glad for all those moments taken out of play. Without them, he would not have these.

It was not until he heard the door slam, accompanied by a loud, "I'm back!" that Alfons finally closed the album and stood up, stretching. A moment later, Ed poked his head into the room.

"Oh, you are here. What, too good to say hi?" The teasing tone had Alfons smiling.

"No, no. Was just distracted looking through old photographs. What time is it?"

His friend glanced to the mantlepiece clock behind him. "Just after two. You been in here all day?"

"Wow, that late already? Yeah, I've been in here since ten."

Ed chuckled and pushed in through the door, sidestepping Alfons to get to where the photo album was still balanced on the arm of the chair the taller blond had been sitting in.

"Mind if I take a look?"

"Only if I get to take a look at yours," Alfons ribbed back.

Edward, who was halfway into the chair, froze. "...don't have one."

"Oh...look, Ed, sorry. I didn't think."

His friend waved it off. "No, whatever. We kept-/keep/-them on a board...at the Rockbell's. It's still there." Rockbell...Rockbell...where had he heard that name? He shoved it aside; it did not matter. "I just can't show it to you."

"No albums? You didn't take anything with you when you moved?" Genuine curiosity was taking over, now. "Why not?"

Ed did not look put upon, but the blond did not look wholly comfortable, either. Still, the other made a good show of nonchalance as he flipped a page. "Wasn't anything left, after the fire. All that're left are the ones Aunt Pinako had."

"You didn't take any afterwards?" He knew about the fire that had claimed the Elric home. While Alfons did not totally buy the part where the brothers had /purposely/ burned it to the ground, he did believe the fire had occurred.

"We did, but I didn't exactly have much on me when I was sucked into the gate."

Alfons sighed, not in the mood to argue. "Well, tell me a bit about Al-your brother. What does he look like?"

"Like you, if you can believe it. Darker hair, and eyes like mine only a bit darker. But in terms of features, you two have...a lot in common."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Talk about your coincidence." This seemed a tad...surreal. Again, he had to wonder if Ed was wholly sane.

The other blond muttered something that Alfons did not catch, but he shoved it off in favour of dropping down into a second chair. There was no point arguing, and that was exactly what would happen if they pursued this.

"You had a dog?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Not us, but Winry did-does. Den, her name is Den. Actually, she lost a leg to a farmer's bear trap about a year after they got her.

"Really? A three-legged dog? Did she live?" He realised after voicing it that it was a dumb question; Ed had said she was still alive. Too late to take it back, though.

"Yeah, she lived." Ed raised his right hand with a grin. "Winry actually made her automail, like mine-only, you know, for a dog. Den survived the surgery and actually did better on the recovery than most people." The other blond chuckled, shaking his head. "It was a little funny."

If there was one thing about Edward that Alfons struggled to understand, it was his friend's mechanical limbs. The creation of them seemed...well, if not easy, at least /possible/, but that was just for the limbs. The mechanism that allowed Ed to use them, however? That seemed far-fetched beyond belief.

...but he could not deny what was right in from of him. Ed had functional, mechanical limbs. That was fact.

"Seems like a waste, using that on a dog."

"This is what they do for a living. How's that wasting it?"

"I dunno, a lot of people don't have what you have. Why not use it on them?"

"Yeah, I'll point them all Winry's way just as soon as they cross the gate," came the flat reply.

Eager to stop the fight he knew was brewing in the other, Alfons instead said, "What about Winry? What does she look like?"

For a second, Alfons thought he was imagining things, but then...nope, Ed was definitely pink in the cheeks.

"O-oh, you know...like a girl! Long hair, blonde, blue eyes...that sort of thing."

Alfons grinned evilly. "How about her chest? Is she tall? Short? Skinny?"

Edward flustered, eyes widening, then, "W-why the hell would I know? I don't notice that stuff!"

"So taller than you, then."

He barely dodged the photo album that was thrown at his head.


End file.
